Interview Tips

Advice for business school applicants who are preparing for their MBA admissions interviews.

Published: November 4, 2018

Eight Tips to Ace the Wharton TBD—From Applicants Who’ve Been There

Many of you are in the throes of preparing for Wharton’s team-based discussion (TBD), so we combed Clear Admit’s Interview Archive and compiled the following pieces of advice from applicants who have gone through it. Please, as you experience the Wharton TBD yourself, feel free to add you own insights by submitting an interview report. Best of luck! Eight Tips to Ace the Wharton TBD Don’t Spend Hours Researching Your Topic in Advance As tempting as it is to be as absolutely prepared as possible, there are diminishing returns when it comes to researching your topic Read more

Published: October 29, 2018

Episode 24: 7 Hardest MBA Admissions Interview Questions and How to Answer Them

Clear Admit’s Alex Brown offers a closer look at some of the toughest interview questions MBA applicants stand to face as part of the admissions process at leading schools. Brown, who worked for several years as part of the admissions team at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, is also the author of Becoming a Clear Admit: The Definitive Guide to MBA Admissions. In today’s podcast, Brown unpacks the hardest questions he’s known applicants to face as part of the interview—a topic he’s an expert on thanks to interviews he himself conducted when he worked at Wharton. As a Read more

Published: October 28, 2018

Clear Admit Webinar: How to Prepare for MBA Interviews

Need Help Preparing for MBA Interviews? Don’t Miss Our Free Clear Admit Webinar In this 90-minute webinar, Clear Admit’s Alex Brown will take a deep dive into what it takes to best prepare for your interviews at the elite MBA programs. Brown will begin by providing insights into the different kinds of interviews that business schools conduct, and explain why understanding each interview type matters for candidates. Brown will then explore the nuances that exist across alumni, admissions committee and student led interviews. Brown will also break down the five most common MBA admissions interview questions and the seven Read more

Published: October 22, 2018

Episode 23: 5 Most Common MBA Interview Questions You Need to Ace

Many Round 1 MBA applicants find themselves in the thick of interview invitations right now. In case there’s any doubt, that’s a terrific place to be! Some schools do feature applicant-initiated interviews, but at the vast majority of top schools, receiving an invitation to interview means you’ve made an important cut in the process, and the admissions team wants to get to know you better. Congratulations! Our guest this week is Clear Admit’s own Alex Brown, who worked for several years as part of the admissions team at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. He’s also the author of Read more

Published: October 21, 2018

Waiting on an Interview Invitation? Tune into Clear Admit’s LiveWire and MBA Chats

Since we know some of you may be waiting anxiously in the next few weeks for interview invitations, we wanted to remind you about two key resources that can help you through this busy—and often stressful—time: MBA LiveWire: Live reports from real candidates throughout the admissions process. Find the profiles of other applicants who applied to your target schools. Get live updates of those who have received an interview invitation or an admissions decision. Sort by school, admissions round, and the status of each entry to find the information you’re looking for. MBA Chats: Chat rooms dedicated to the top schools below, in Read more

Published: October 16, 2018

Who Is Your MBA Interviewer? A Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast Replay

Round 1 applicants continue to receive invitations to interview. But depending on the school, the person who serves as your MBA interviewer could vary. Today alone, there have been MBA LiveWire reports of invitations to interview at Chicago Booth, INSEAD, UCLA Anderson, UT McCombs, and Cornell’s Johnson School, among others. If you suddenly find yourself in the throes of preparing for an interview, take a moment to revisit one of our earliest MBA Admissions Podcasts. Episode 2, which aired last spring, takes a closer look Read more

Published: October 14, 2018

Top HBS MBA Interview Tips from Actual Interviewees

We know that many of you Class of 2021 hopefuls are eagerly awaiting your interviews with the Harvard Business School (HBS) admissions committee. To help you prepare, we’ve rounded up the top interview tips from experienced candidates, as reported in the Clear Admit Interview Guide. You can thank us—and them—by paying it forward and submitting reports of your own after you interview. Whether on campus, via Skype, or in any of several global hub cities, HBS interviews are all “non-blind,” meaning the adcom members conducting your interview will have fully examined and be familiar with your application. Let’s see what sage advice last year’s class passed on. Read more

Published: October 14, 2018

Understanding the MBA Admissions Interview – Part I

With Harvard Business School (HBS) issuing its Round 1 interview invitations two weeks ago, the MBA admissions world is buzzing about one thing: INTERVIEWS. HBS, of course, is not alone. At Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business, which features applicant-initiated interviews, hopeful candidates have been traipsing back and forth to Hanover already for several weeks. With so much interview anxiety in the air—and knowing that it only stands to build from here—we’ve decided to devote this week at Clear Admit to all things interview, introducing a series we ran during the last two admissions cycles. We’re getting the ball rolling with the first Read more

Published: October 8, 2018

MBA Interview Formats: A Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast Replay

It’s interview season for Round 1 applicants, and MBA LiveWire has already been lighting up with reports of interview invitations from Harvard Business School, Columbia Business School, CMU’s Tepper School of Business, Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, and Yale School of Management, with many more to come. We’ll have some brand-new, interview-focused podcast episodes as part of our Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast Series in upcoming weeks. But we also want to invite you to revisit our very first episode, which debuted Read more

Published: September 18, 2018

MBA LiveWire Data Predicts HBS, Wharton & Stanford Interview Invite Timing

October is an anxious month for MBA aspirants who have submitted applications to the leading MBA programs for Round 1. Many of these programs roll out their interview invite decisions during the month. If you are one of these candidates, MBA LiveWire is a good place for you to keep up to date with what’s going on; we hope you will also share your news. Harvard Leads the Way Harvard generally leads the way with Round 1 interview invite decisions. In 2017, HBS released its decisions on two dates, October 2nd and October 5th. The latter date included all those Read more

Published: April 9, 2018

MIT Sloan Round 3 Roundup from Admissions Director Dawna Levenson

With the Round 3 deadline having passed yesterday for applicants to MIT Sloan School of Management, Director of Admissions Dawna Levenson was quick to add an update post to her “From the Desk of the Admissions Director” blog today letting these late-round applicants know what to expect next. Levenson started out by underscoring that several things make applying in Round 3 unique, chief among them the accelerated timeline. “The next month will certainly be a whirlwind,” she warned. Here are the dates you should circle now on your calendars: Friday, April 20, 2018: Interview Read more

Published: March 14, 2018

Our Latest Podcast: Acing the Skype or Video Interview

Wrapping up our comprehensive coverage of how to prepare for interviews of every sort, the latest episode in the Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast series focuses on the Skype or video interview. An option widely available to MBA applicants who perhaps can’t travel to the business school they’re applying to, the Skype or video interview is also increasingly used by recruiters in the job search process. So brushing up on how best to prepare for this increasingly common interview format is valuable whether you’re in the thick of the MBA admissions process or just looking ahead toward your post-MBA career Read more

Published: March 11, 2018

Our Latest Podcast: Who Is Your MBA Interviewer?

At schools like Harvard Business School and MIT Sloan School of Management, MBA admissions interviews are conducted exclusively by members of the admissions staff. London Business School and Columbia Business School, meanwhile, are among those that rely on an army of alumni to meet with candidates around the world. Still other schools—including the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business—train current students in the art of interviewing and call on them to help assess potential future classmates. While Read more

Published: February 28, 2018

Four Reasons You Need to Visit Clear Admit’s Interview Archive

As interview invitations for Round 2 MBA candidates continue to roll out, we wanted to remind Class of 2020 hopefuls that Clear Admit can help with the final hurdle to acceptance: the interview. The Clear Admit Interview Archive is a repository of first-hand accounts shared directly by MBA applicants after they have interviewed with one or more of their target top-tier business schools. The details shared in these reports—from the questions asked to what the applicant would do differently if he or she had it to do over—provide invaluable information as you prepare for your interviews. Read more

Published: February 25, 2018

Top Stanford GSB MBA Interview Tips from Actual Interviewees

As reports of Stanford GSB interview invitations trickle into LiveWire, we’re taking the opportunity to round up useful advice from the Clear Admit Interview Guide, as passed on by interviewed candidates themselves. Before we dig into the key takeaways from last year’s lucky invitees, here are a few basics about the structure of the interviews at Stanford. Most Stanford MBA interviews are conducted by trained GSB alumni, but the school says that an adcom member may also serve as an interviewer. In any case, Stanford interviews are “blind,” meaning that the interviewer will only have had access to the résumés of invited candidates, not their entire files. Read more

Published: February 25, 2018

Top Wharton School MBA Team-Based Interview Tips from Actual Interviewees

As LiveWire lights up with interview invitations from the Wharton Admissions Committee, we wanted to help the latest crop of candidates by sharing tips and tidbits from those who have experienced the Wharton Team-Based Discussion (TBD) and personal interviews firsthand. Wharton introduced the TBD a few years ago and considers it to “model the highly collaborative nature of the Wharton MBA environment.” Five to six candidates are grouped together and asked to develop a presentation around a specific prompt, which invited applicants are sent in advance of the interview. Afterward the group exercise, candidates have about 10 minutes one on one with an interviewer—usually a trained second-year student but sometimes a member of the adcom. Many candidates report that the TBD gives them insight into Wharton’s atmosphere but can feel difficult to prepare for. In the Clear Admit Interview Guide for Wharton, several interviewees elaborated on their personal experiences. We’ve also scoured the Clear Admit Interview Archive and pulled out some of the best insights from last year’s Wharton candidates. Read more

Published: February 25, 2018

Top Michigan Ross MBA Interview Questions and Tips from Actual Interviewees

As Ross MBA candidates head to Ann Arbor or meet up with alumni interviewers elsewhere around the globe, we wanted to round up some of the most common questions and pass on some advice from actual interviewees. The one-on-one admissions interviews are conducted by students on campus or by alumni off campus. They are “blind” in nature, meaning that the interviewer has not seen candidates’ applications—just their résumés. In addition to these solo interviews, Ross candidates are also encouraged to take part in a team-based activity in Ann Arbor. For the team activity, a group of five or six candidates is given two random words; the students then must work together to develop a business challenge and solution around these words. Read more

Published: February 22, 2018

Listening to LiveWire: Importance of the Interview

As MBA hopefuls endeavor to succeed in the admissions process, the pathway to an acceptance call or letter can be wrought with challenges. Clear Admit offers tools, such as MBA LiveWire, so community members can come together and ease each other’s way to business school. Today we’re taking a closer look at an entry in MBA LiveWire, dealing with angst over an interview at Chicago Booth. The original poster sought feedback on their interview experience: Some candidates in the same boat offered reassuring perspectives: Read more

Published: February 21, 2018

Why You Should Consider Yourself Lucky to Get to Write the MIT Sloan Pre-Interview Essay

Did you get invited to interview at MIT Sloan today? If so, a hearty congratulations. And if not—there’s still hope! Another batch of invites is slated to go out a week from today, on March 1st. In case you don’t know it already, for those of you who did or still might receive an invitation to interview—you’re also going to get to write an additional essay. That’s right. MIT Sloan is unique among top business schools in that it saves an application essay question for only those candidates it invites to interview. Before you groan and say, “Another essay?” you’d do Read more

Published: January 29, 2018

Not-to-Miss Ross Interview Tips Straight from the Admissions Director

If you’ve gone to schedule an on-campus Round 2 interview at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business only to learn that all the slots are full, you’re not alone. Soojin Kwon, Ross managing director of full-time MBA admissions and program, shared these and other updates—as well as valuable Ross interview tips—in a post today to her MBA Admissions Blog. “Shortly after posting the interview schedule, nearly all of our on-campus slots filled up,” she wrote. So her team reached out to student interviewers to volunteer more time and opened up more slots—only those filled, too! Read more

Published: November 28, 2017

Admissions Director Q&A: Shelly Heinrich of Georgetown McDonough

We recently had the opportunity to speak with Shelly Heinrich, the interim associate dean of MBA admissions at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. She has capably stepped in to lead the team since Shari Hubert left to lead admissions at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business earlier this fall. With more than 13 years of experience in the higher education, corporate, and nonprofit sectors, Heinrich is currently responsible for leading Georgetown’s MBA admissions team in marketing and operational strategy while also building awareness of and recruiting for the full-time and evening MBA programs. Read more

Published: October 8, 2017

Understanding the MBA Admissions Interview – Part I

With Harvard Business School (HBS) issuing its Round 1 interview invitations last week, the MBA admissions world is buzzing about one thing: INTERVIEWS. HBS, of course, is not alone. At Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business, which features applicant-initiated interviews, hopeful candidates have been traipsing back and forth to Hanover already for several weeks. With so much interview anxiety in the air—and knowing that it only stands to build from here—we’ve decided to devote this week at Clear Admit to all things interview, introducing a series we Read more

Published: February 8, 2017

The Skinny on Stanford GSB Interviews

We know from MBA LiveWire that some of you have already received invitations to interview at Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB). A hearty congratulations for a significant achievement. Stanford revealed this past fall that it will interview roughly 1,000 applicants this year. Considering that the school last year had 8,116 people throw their hat in the ring, if you got an invitation to interview, you’ve already claimed a spot among a very select group. For those invited—and those still hoping to hear—we thought we’d share what we know about the interview process at the GSB as you prepare. As you likely already know, there’s no getting into Stanford without an interview. That said, some candidates may be “offered a place in the waitpool,” as the school’s website quaintly puts it, without an interview during the round in which they applied. Those who accept a place on the waitlist may then be invited to interview in a later round. Read more

Published: October 24, 2016

Impending MBA Interview? Latest Clear Admit Interview Guides Have All You Need to Prepare

The MBA interview—the nail-biting, stomach-churning, sleep-robbing, suit-demanding component of the MBA application process that ties some applicants up in knots—is upon us. But there’s no reason to fret: not with Clear Admit’s in-depth Interview Guide Series as part of your arsenal. Providing expert advice and insider tips on what to expect and how to prepare, these guides are ready and waiting to help you conquer your jitters and ace your interview. Maybe you’re among the lucky ones who has already received an interview invite from your top choice business school (Harvard Business School and U. Chicago Booth to name a couple)? We’ve also heard—via the MBA LiveWire—that invites are rolling out from places like Columbia Business School (CBS), Cambridge’s Judge School, Duke’s Fuqua School and INSEAD. Of course, with more candidates set to receive Round 1 decisions in the coming weeks, the interview invitation madness has just begun. Read more

Published: October 20, 2016

Columbia MBA Interview Questions: Early Decision / Alumni / Off-campus

The following Columbia MBA interview questions report was submitted to Clear Admit by an Early Decision applicant. I was invited to interview with a CBS alumni in my city. After a few email exchanges, we picked a date and place. We met at a coffee shop after work. The alumni dressed in casual clothes and I went with business formal attire. • Your background, walk me through your résumé. • Your post MBA career goal. Why? • Why this goal? Have you been following this industry? How do you envision the technology to be like? Read more

MBA Applywire

November 20, 2024 9:42pm ET

Applying: Babson / Olin, , Carnegie Mellon / Tepper, Emory / Goizueta, Rice / Jones, Rochester / Simon, SMU Cox, UCI Merage, Washington U. / Olin

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Technology - Entrepreneurship

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Technology, Entrepreneurship

GRE: 333

GPA: 2.56

Years of Work Experience: 5

Location: Lagos

Notes:

I just got rejected for WashU Olin and I have an interview invitation with Questrom. GPA continues to bother me but I addressed it in my supporting essays.

November 19, 2024 12:51pm ET

Applying: Berkeley / Haas, Cornell / Johnson, Dartmouth / Tuck, Duke / Fuqua, INSEAD, Michigan / Ross, MIT Sloan, Northwestern / Kellogg, U. Chicago Booth, UPenn / Wharton, Yale SOM

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Tech in government

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Entrepreneurship Companies: Bain , McKinsey

GRE: 319

GPA: 2.9

Years of Work Experience: 7

Notes:

I got cancer when I was undergrad that's why my undergrad GPA is low. After MBA I want to work in consulting then make a social impact in Africa through entrepreneurship

November 19, 2024 12:06pm ET

Applying: Duke / Fuqua, Harvard Business School, Michigan / Ross, Northwestern / Kellogg, Stanford GSB, U. Chicago Booth, U. Washington / Foster, UNC Kenan-Flagler, UT Austin / McCombs, UVA / Darden

Pre-MBA Career: Wealth Management and Military

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Asset Management, inc. HF, Other Companies: Bain , BCG , Deloitte , McKinsey , Goldman Sachs , JP Morgan Asset Management , State Street , Vanguard

GPA: 3.80

Years of Work Experience: 7

Location: San Diego

Post MBA Location: Chicago, Seattle, Minneapolis, Charlotte

Notes:

UG Degree: BBA Financial Markets at an Accredited Institution.

Civilian Work History: 3 years as Wealth Advisor under an RIA in Minneapolis and Denver. Total AUM of ~$350-400M, served as a salaried advisor in a primary and secondary capacity. Holistic services to include investment management, estate planning, retirement planning, insurance planning, tax planning, etc.

Military History: 4 years as a supply/logistics officer heading efforts for air/ground mobility, defense contracting, supply and procurement, and fiscal budget management while located at various bases within CONUS and multiple forward deployed locations.

Professional Certifications: Obtained Certified Financial Planner designation (2022) and Series 65 (2019).

November 18, 2024 12:50am ET

Applying: Columbia, Dartmouth / Tuck, Duke / Fuqua, Emory / Goizueta, NYU Stern, UNC Kenan-Flagler, Yale SOM

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Consulting

Post-MBA Target Industry: Investment Banking Companies: Bank of America , Barclays , Citibank , Credit Suisse , Goldman Sachs , JP Morgan Chase

GRE: 323

GPA: 3.32

Years of Work Experience: 7

Notes:

Education:
- Combined Major in Economics and Statistics
- CFA Charterholder (passed all three levels on the first attempt)

Professional Experience:
- Manager at a Big 4 firm Specializing in capital projects and infrastructure, with a role similar to investment banking
- Seven years of experience, mainly in financial services in Ghana

Extracurricular Activities:
- Pro bono capital-raising services for SMEs
- Aspiring to run a full advisory firm for SMEs in the future
- CFA exam coaching and tutorial classes for candidates
- Founder of a travel and tour club offering affordable trips to explore beautiful and historic scenes in Ghana

Will being 32 years old affect the attractiveness of my candidacy?

November 17, 2024 9:24am ET

Applying: Columbia, , Georgetown / McDonough, Harvard Business School, INSEAD, NYU Stern, Oxford / Saïd, Stanford GSB, UCLA Anderson, Yale SOM

Pre-MBA Career: Higher Education

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Technology, Investment Banking, Venture Capital, Private Equity, Media, Undecided Companies: Bain , BCG , McKinsey , JP Morgan , Morgan Stanley , JP Morgan Chase , Apple , Google , Microsoft , Andressen Horowitz , Charles River , Sequoia Capital , Blackstone , KKR , 21st Century Fox , Comcast , Walt Disney

GPA: 3.97

Years of Work Experience: 5

Location: Denver, Colorado

Post MBA Location: New York City

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MBA LiveWire

November 21, 2024 4:51am ET

Waitlisted at NYU Stern

Round: Round 1

Received via portal on November 19, 2024

GPA: 3.54

GRE: 331

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Consulting

Application Location: Nicaragua

Note:

Waitlisted without interview. How can I flip this in my favour?

November 21, 2024 3:13am ET

Accepted to Washington U. / Olin

Round: Round 1

Received via email November 20, 2024

GPA: 3.81

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Finance

Application Location: Los Angeles

Note:

100K scholarship!

November 20, 2024 11:49pm ET

Interview Invite to Berkeley / Haas

Round: Round 1

Received via email November 20, 2024

GMAT: 645

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Note:

Consortium

November 20, 2024 9:20pm ET

Interview Invite to Dartmouth / Tuck

Round: Round 1

Received via portal on September 04, 2024

GPA: 3.74

GRE: 311

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Consulting

Application Location: Tampa, FL

Note:

Applied early enough to guarantee interview.

November 20, 2024 9:19pm ET

Interview Invite to U. Washington / Foster

Round: Round 1

Received via email on October 31, 2024

GPA: 3.74

GRE: 313

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Consulting

Application Location: Tampa, FL

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